New system will save taxpayer money and combat voter fraud

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted announced today that
there is a new way for registered voters to change their voting address:
the Internet.
If the state had done this in 2008, about 130,000 provisional ballots could have been cast as regular ballots, according to Husted. Provisional ballots are ballots used to record a vote when there are questions surrounding a voter's eligibility. Provisional ballots are sometimes discounted if a person fails to prove his/her eligibility to vote.
“This added convenience for voters is also a powerful tool against voter
fraud as current and accurate voter rolls leave less room for abuse,” Husted said in a press release.Husted said the new system will also save tax dollars. For each
registration done online instead of by mail or in-person, the state
saves money.
The website requires four identification keys: a last
name, an Ohio driver's license number, the last four digits of a Social
Security number and a date of birth. Registered voters that supply this
information will be able to submit an application for an address change.
Applications will be reviewed by county election boards.
If the address change is accepted, the election board will send an
acceptance letter by mail to the new address.
The state is working heavily with the Ohio Bureau of Motor
Vehicles to share voter data. At this time, more than 6 million of
Ohio's registered voters will be able to change their addresses online.
To change an address online, voters can visit the Ohio
Secretary of State page at MyOhioVote.com. Anyone who registers between
now and October will also be put in a line to receive an application to
vote by mail for the November elections.

2004 Constitutional amendment could go to ballot for Ohio voters

A token of good news for advocates of marriage equality in Ohio came on Tuesday when Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine approved language in a new state amendment proposal that, if approved by voters, would overturn Ohio's marriage bill prohibiting marriage for same-sex couples. It's a small bit of progress, but the approval means advocates are one step closer to achieving legislative rights and tolerance for same-sex couples in Ohio wishing to wed. Advocacy group Freedom to Marry Ohio originally submitted a primary version of a proposal of a revised constitutional state amendment allowing same-sex marriage to DeWine in late March. When DeWine ruled that the proposal did not provide an adequate description of the new measure, the group revised the proposal, which was resubmitted on March 26. The proposal included the signatures of more than 2,000 electors in support of the amendment change. According to Freedom to Marry Ohio's proposal, the new amendment would repeal and replace Section 11, Article XV of the Constitution to:1. Allow two consenting adults freedom to enter into a marriage regardless of gender2. Give religious institutions freedom to determine who to marry3. Give religious institutions protection to refuse to perform marriage DeWine stated in a press release that the next step is to decide whether the amendment should be placed on the ballot as one measure or split up into two. That task will be handed off to the Ohio Ballot Board. Once that decision is made, Freedom to Marry Ohio will be responsible for garnering 385,253 valid signatures from registered Ohio voters in order to get its proposed marriage equality amendment on the Ohio ballot. According to a report from Huffington Post, Ian James, Freedom to Marry Ohio's co-founder, hopes to be ready for the November 2013 ballot. Freedom to Marry Ohio is a branch of the nationwide coalition, Freedom to Marry, which organizes campaigns to achieve marriage equality nationwide. The current amendment in place regarding Ohio marriage has been in place since 2004, when Ohio voters chose to support banning gay marriage and health benefits for public employees in domestic partnerships with a 62 percent majority.